Murdoch Names New Top Editors At Post and New York Magazine

Rupert Murdoch, the Australian publisher, named new top editors at The New York Post and New York magazine yesterday in moves to consolidate control over the group of publications he has acquired in the last 10 days.

Edwin Bolwell, a 44‐year‐old senior editor of Time magazine and a former assistant metropolitan editor of The New York Times, was appointed editor of The Post, a new position that will be second only to that of Mr. Murdoch as publisher and editor in chief.

James Brady, a 48‐year‐old Murdoch associate who is vice chairman of the company that publishes The National Star and editor in chief of another company that publishes four monthly magazines, was named editor of New York magazine. He will succeed Clay S. Felker, the founder, who relinquished his posts with the publication. Byron Dobell, the magazine's managing editor, is to resign tomorrow.

Bolwell Also an Australian

The appointments put executives loyal to Mr. Murdoch at the helm of both publications and appeared to strengthen the publisher's lines of command in shaping their editorial policies.

At The Post, Mr. Bolwell, an Australian who has been in American and Canadian journalism for 20 years, will have full editorial control in the news operations. Both Paul Sann, the executive editor, and Robert Spitzler, the managing editor, will report to him. James A. Wechsler, editor of the editorial page, will report to Mr. Murdoch or, in his absence, to Mr. Bolwell.

At New York magazine, Mr. Brady will have “total responsibility and authority for the editorial product” and will report directly—and only—to Mr. Murdoch. Mr. Dobell, according to Mr. Brady, has agreed to stay on the job for a couple of weeks to ease the transition of ownership and editorial control.

Mr. Dobell notified Mr. Murdoch yesterday that he would not accept a new two‐year contract proferred under the terms of an out‐of‐court agreement between Mr. Murdoch and Mr. Felker on Friday.

That agreement cleared the way for Mr. Murdoch to buy a controlling interest in the New York Magazine Company, which publishes a New West magazine and The Village Voice, in addition to New York magazines.

Under its terms, Mr. Dobell and the managing editors of the other two publications, Marianne Partridge at The Voice and Dick Adler at New West, were to be offered new contracts as a means of preserving “editorial integrity” of the publications.

In an interview yesterday, Mr. Murdoch said he had not been in touch with Miss Partridge and would have to have further discussions with Mr. Adler, and was thus unable to say whether they would continue in their present capacities.

Post Acquired for $31 Million

Mr. Murdoch, whose publishing empire includes scores of newspapers, magazines and television stations in Australia, Britain and the United States, acquired The Post from its longtime editor in chief and publisher, Dorothy Schiff, 10 days ago for $31 million.

Since then, he has purchased or concluded agreements'to purchase‐more than 50 percent of the 1.8 million outstanding shares of New York Magazine Company stock for $8.25 a share. The stock was bought principally from the holders of large blocks of shares, including 425,202 shares owned by City Councilman Carter Burden.

In addition to the $7.5 million Mr. Murdoch is to pay for controlling interest, he has agreed to make a tender offer to all other stockholders for their shares, and is thus prepared to Invest nearly $15 million for total ownership of the magazine company, which was founded 10 years ago when The New York Herald Tribune shut down.

The company had turned a profit until last year, when start‐up costs of its newest publication. New West. left it with a deficit. But New West, which came out last April, has a circulation of nearly 300,000 and is thought to have a profitablg future.

New York Magazine Company stock was selling for only $2 last month on the over‐the‐counter market. But amid reports that Mr. Murdoch and, at one point. The Washington Post might buy the company, the price rose rapidly to between $5 and $6 a share by the end of the year.

Mr. Felker last week obtained a Federal restraining order against the sale of Mr. Burden's stock to Mr. Murdoch onthe ground that he had a right of first refusal on Mr. Burden's shares. Mr. Felker, who founded New York magazine. and was the parent company's president and chief executive officer, also had filed, a suit seeking to block the sale perrnanently.

Many members of the magazine's staff in recent days had vocally supported Mr. Felker's effort to block a Murdoch takeover, but on Friday Mr. Felker—at thedirection of a Federal judge—agreed to meet with Mr. Murdoch. A settlement was then worked out under which Mr. Felker dropped his suit and relinquished his positions of president and editor.

The agreement provided that Mr. Felkerwould get his annual $120,000 salary for the next two years and would sell his 180,000 shares of company stock to Mr., Murdoch for just under $1.5 million, and, would pay off his debt to the company, which includes a $250,000 loan, over a year's time.

In addition, the agreement provided that 10 employees who have worked• longest with New York magazine—a group that includes ad salesmen and secretaries as well as editors and execu‐7 tives—should be retained.

Staffs Asked to Remain

Many members of the staffs of Nev York and New West magazines staged brief walkout late In the week, and Mr. Murdoch and some of his associates were obliged to work around the clock Thursz day and Friday to get out the Jan. issue of New York, which appears starting tomorrow.

However, the staffs were expected to be back on the job tomorrow. Mr. Murdoch has asked all three staffs‐125 persons at New York, 150 at The Voice and 65 at New West—to remain.

And Mr. Felker yesterday said: “I don't expect anybody to quit. I expect them to do what's best for themselves.”

A number of contributing editors of the magazines—actually they are article writers—have indicated that they will no longer work for the publications.

Mr. Felker, reflecting yesterday en his stewardship of New York magazine, said that his “greatest achievement” had been the building of the staffs of the publicstions, and that his “biggest mistake.”was “not being born a millionaire.”

Mr. Felker said that the “independent history” of The Village Voice would militate against any change in its character, under new ownership, but he expressed the opinion that the magazines “will ab‐, solutely change” because, by nature, they reflect editors’ attitudes toward subject matter.

Felker Weighs Future

As for his own future, Mr. Felker said he intended to found a new magazine, but had not decided its nature or when it would appear. His contract with the New York Magazine Company had, in the event that he ever severed association with the company, proscribed association with or ownership of any publications competing with those of the company. This clause, he said, was super seded in the agreement with Mr. Murdoch by one more specifically prohibiting, his working for Cue or Los Angeles Magazines.

Mr. Felker said he was “stunned and touched” by the suppert given him by the magazine staffs in the last week, and he said he had agreed to meet with Mr. Murdoch over many staff members’ objections only at the direction of a Federal judge. He said his out‐of‐court set, tlement with Mr. Murdoch was an effort to protect staffers’ jobs and preserve the character of the publications.

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A version of this archives appears in print on January 9, 1977, on Page 37 of the New York edition with the headline: Murdoch Names New Top Editors At Post and New York Magazine. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe